Another Curtis Mathes BEAST!

[Charlie]

Man! They must have had it in their heads that bigger was better! Or, at least until they tried moving the damn thing!

This one's in PA.

http://cgi.aol.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI...sPageName=WDVW

[Eric H]

That thing on top is ugly!
It doesn't even look like it belongs but it houses the tuner so it must be original. Wonder if the 8 track is an add on?

[Charlie]

Yeah, the control panel does look a little strange. They could have done a better job with the knob layout.

After seeing all of these big CM sets lately, it makes me realize that mine must have been one of the cheaper ones!

[Chad Hauris]

I have seen that top hutch part on a lot of CM consoles...have not seen an older tube type with real wood veneer though...all the ones I have seen have been particle board. The 8-track looks to be a Craig unit so it was likely someone hooked it up to the CM in the late 70's/early 80's.

[Carmine]

The 8-track looks to be a Craig unit

Well hot-damn, a Craig! I know they used to be a great name in Car-stereo! Hmmm, what ever happened to Craig?

[bgadow]

Lancaster isn't a bad trip for me, but, geesh...no room around here for such a monster & it sure isn't going to win any beauty contests. If it was in bad condition I could see buying it for the crt but as it is, in working shape-I just hope somebody can save it.

[Jeffhs]

The control panel on that set is rather unusual, especially for a console. I've never seen one like that before. The last time I saw anything even remotely resembling this layout was when I saw a pic, some years ago, of the pop-up control panel of a certain model of RCA solid-state b&w 12" portable from the '70s or so (can't recall the model number offhand, but it could also be operated from batteries, IIRC).

The eight-track system definitely looks like an add-on, as it isn't built into the hutch or the TV console itself.

Craig was a Japanese electronics import company, its heyday being in the '60s and '70s. I note, however, that the company must be making a comeback of sorts, as I occasionally see CD/MP3 players with the Craig name on them being advertised in Circuit City and Best Buy ad flyers in our Sunday newspaper.

Craig also made car stereos for awhile. Don't know if they are still in that facet of the business, but I do recall seeing ads for AM/FM/cassette auto receivers from them a few years ago. It wouldn't surprise me, however, if they are in fact still in the mobile audio business, these days turning out AM/FM/CD or CD/satellite radio systems.

I just took a second look at the CM console being discussed here. The control hutch, IMO, really isn't that ugly--just unique. The hutch has two sliding doors that can hide everything in there, including the aftermarket 8-track deck in this one, so the controls and everything else behind them won't be an eyesore when the set is not being used.

BTW, speaking of eyesores, have you ever noticed how unattractive the front control panels are on many old TVs? The manufacturers try to make up for it by using fancy badges and things on the panels, but the controls are still in full view on most sets. (When the lettering starts wearing off the knobs after a few years, it just makes the problem worse.) The cleanest-looking front panels I've seen on older sets have been the tilt-out control clusters in '70s-vintage RCA color TVs, and a similar design used by Zenith in the '60s and possibly early '70s for their b&w and color consoles, not to mention a line of Admiral color consoles in the '60s with tilt-out control panels as well. I had a 23" Zenith B&W console with such an arrangement; the secondary controls were behind a swing-down door below the CRT. The only two controls visible on the front of the set were the channel selector and on-off/volume control.

New TVs are being manufactured with fewer front-panel adjustments, so we may be seeing a comeback of this sort of design. Almost all TVs, VCRs, and DVD players today are being made with on-screen menus and controls, with only a row of push buttons on the front panel, generally below the CRT in the case of TV sets. My own RCA CTC185 has such a control panel; at night, when my living room is almost dark (except for one lamp in a corner of the room behind the TV), the front control buttons are nearly invisible, as they are black, the same color as the TV cabinet. This is also a big reason I don't want to get rid of this set any time soon, or at least as long as it works (I have an extended service contract on it that runs through 2006)--the newer RCA table sets are in high-tech silver-color cabinets, with the front controls plainly visible.

New Philips Magnavox TVs are available these days only in that color cabinet (silver), but I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot clip lead because of the flimsy contruction of these sets; I've heard it is possible to push the set off any table it is set on (because of the lightweight construction) without half trying, even when simply pressing one of the front-panel control buttons.

I wonder, as I write this, how many new "Magnavox" TVs have appeared in repair shops for replacement of smashed CRTs or other problems caused when the set fell off the table or stand while the owner was simply turning on the thing or changing channels, invoking menu options or trying to perform other control commands by using the front panel controls. Personally, if I had a set like that, I'd stick to invoking the menus and their options, not to mention volume-on/off and channel selection, via the remote, and would leave the front panel buttons for use only in emergencies, such as when the remote batteries eventually expire (this often happens right when you're all set to watch a favorite show) and you can't find new ones immediately. I rarely use the front buttons on my RCA, preferring instead to operate my entire entertainment system (not just the TV) with an aftermarket RCA universal home-theater remote (RCU-800B). It works well for me, and saves wear and tear on the front controls (almost all of which are pushbuttons) of my entertainment gear.

[Charlie]

For the price someone gave for that thing when it was new, you'd think they'd GIVE you a remote back then! That way, you could close the top sliding doors covering the controls and just use the remote.

It would be interesting to know what kind of price tag that thing originally had.

So far, all of the 60's CM consoles I've seen were wood and veneer. The two I have are, and the several CM's I went to look at during my last vacation were as well.

It seems that I've only seen two or three listings for CM color chassis during the roundie era. They were probably more focused on a very wide variety of cabinet styles and just depended on RCA clone chassis to go into them. One of the reasons I say this is because my CM set was made in 66, but uses a cTC15 clone... and 15's came out in what... 63?

[polaraman]

polaraman is the winner! We will soon know what makes this beast tick!!!! Could eight of you meet me at my house next week to get it into the house?

[bgadow]

LOOK OUT FOLKS! HE'S A FREE MAN AND IS GONNA BUY 'UM ALL!!!

[Sandy G]

Hell, it'll take 8 people to lift the radio/tape unit off the top of that sucker...Assuming of course, it DOES come off. Great score, anyway-Sandy G.

[Charlie]

You certainly don't mind driving some distance to get one of these! Georgia to PA is a pretty good haul!

Congrats on the win! I was really hoping someone here would get this. And when your day comes to pass on, we'll make sure they use the set as your coffin!

Good luck on it's move!

[polaraman]

I actually am from Pennsylvania. I am going home (PA) on leave this week to vote and visit the folks. Lancaster is like 30 miles away. I had hoped to line up some sets to make the drive more interesting. Scheduled to pick up a Westinghouse in Virgnia on Sunday. No girlfriend equals plenty of cash!!

[Charlie]

Yeah, I hear ya! I recall my check book getting unusually fat after my wife split. Not to say she wasn't worth a thin checkbook, but, it is quite amazing how much it grows once they leave.

[Eric H]

Originally Posted by polaraman

Could eight of you meet me at my house next week to get it into the house?

You ain't kidding! that has to weigh 300 lbs

Maybe you can sell the eight track for enough to pay for the set.